美國研發無人潛艇以威懾中國 US develops sub drones to deter China
As it watches China build up its presence in the South China Sea, one reclaimed island at a time, the US military is betting on a new technology to help retain its edge — submarine drones.
目睹中國在南中國海(South China Sea)地區加強存在、每次聲索一個島的主權，美軍正在押注於一項新技術來幫助其保持優勢——無人潛艇。
During the past six months, the Pentagon has started to talk publicly about a once-secret programme to develop unmanned undersea vehicles, the term given the drone subs that are becoming part of its plan to deter China from trying to dominate the region.
在過去6個月內，五角大樓(The Pentagon)開始公開談論曾經的機密項目——開發無人潛航器(UUV)，即無人潛艇。無人潛艇正成爲美軍阻止中國主導南中國海地區的計劃的一部分。
Ashton Carter, US defence secretary, made special mention of drone subs in a speech about military strategy in Asia and hinted at their potential use in the South China Sea, which has large areas of shallower water.
美國國防部長阿什頓•卡特(Ashton Carter)在一次關於亞洲軍事戰略的演講中特別提到了無人潛艇，暗示它們可能用於擁有大片淺水區域的南中國海。
The Pentagon’s investment in subs “includes new undersea drones in multiple sizes and diverse payloads that can, importantly, operate in shallow water, where manned submarines cannot”, said Mr Carter, who visited a US warship in the South China Sea on Friday.
五角大樓在潛艇方面的投資“包括多種大小、多種載荷的新型無人潛艇，重要的是，它們可以在淺水作業，這是載人潛艇無法做到的，”卡特表示。他上週五視察了美軍在南中國海上巡航的斯坦尼斯號(USS Stennis)航母。
By lifting the veil on new technologies such as drone subs, some of which it hopes will be operational by the end of the decade, the Pentagon is trying to deter potential rivals such as China and Russia by pointing to its continuing military superiority. The drones are part of a push by the US military into robotics as it tries to keep one step ahead.
藉着揭開無人潛艇等新技術的面紗，五角大樓正試圖通過指出其繼續保持的軍事優勢，來威懾中國和俄羅斯等潛在競爭對手。無人潛艇正是美軍力圖在技術上領先一步、推動機器人技術的努力的一部分。五角大樓希望部分無人潛艇可以在本十年末投入使用。
“The idea is that if we were ever to get into a bust-up in the South China Sea, the Chinese would not know for sure what sort of capabilities the US might have,” says Shawn Brimley, a former White House and Pentagon official now at the Center for a New American Security. “This might have some deterrent impact on the potential for provocative behaviour.”
“我們的想法是，如果我們一旦在南中國海上陷入爭端，中方將不會確切知道美國可能擁有何種能力，”曾在白宮(White House)和五角大樓擔任官員、現於新美國安全中心(Center for a New American Security)供職的肖恩•布里姆利(Shawn Brimley)稱，“這可能會對未來可能的挑釁行爲起到一些威懾作用。”
Mr Carter’s trip to the USS Stennis on Friday was part of a visit to the Philippines aimed at expanding military co-operation between the two countries that is partly aimed at checking China’s growing influence. The Philippines, which will now hosts US fighter jets, is one of the countries that has contested claims with China for some of the land features and islands in the South China Sea.
卡特上週五視察斯坦尼斯號是其菲律賓之行的一部分，他訪問菲律賓旨在擴大兩國之間的軍事合作，部分目的在於遏制中國日益擴大的影響力。菲律賓如今將成爲美國戰鬥機駐地，是與中國在南中國海部分地物和島嶼存在主權爭議的國家之一。
“Countries across the Asia-Pacific are voicing concern with China’s land reclamation, which stands out in size and scope, as well as its militarisation in the South China Sea,” Mr Carter said in Manila on Thursday.
“亞太各國對中國填海造島及其在南中國海上的軍事化舉動表示關切，其填海造島的規模和範圍引人注目，”卡特上週四在馬尼拉表示。
As military competition intensifies in the western Pacific between the US and China, submarines have become one of the key areas. China’s heavy investment in missiles has put at risk US land-based forces in the region and some of its surface vessels. As a result the US is investing $8bn next year in submarines to “ensure ours is the most lethal and most advanced undersea and anti-submarine force in the world”, as Mr Carter put it last week.
隨着美中在西太平洋上的軍事競爭愈演愈烈，潛艇已經成爲關鍵的技術領域之一。中國大力投資導彈，對美國在該地區的陸上軍事力量和部分水面艦艇構成威脅。因此，卡特上週表示，美國明年將在潛艇方面投資80億美元，以“確保我們的潛艇是世界上殺傷力最強、最先進的水下及反潛力量”。
Small, remotely operated subs have been used for some time in search and rescue and the Navy has been using Remus drones to search for mines. The new investments are in more autonomous vessels that might eventually carry weapons.
小型遠程操控無人潛艇一段時間以來已被用於執行搜救任務，美國海軍目前使用Remus無人潛艇來搜索水雷。新投資主要投向自動化更高的潛艇，最終可能將配備武器。
Last autumn, the US Navy unveiled a 10-foot, semi-autonomous sub drone known as the large displacement unmanned underwater vehicle, which is due to conduct its first test voyage in open seas in the summer. Officials hope that a squadron will be operating by 2020 if tests go well. As well as being able to operate for 30 days at a time, other distinguishing features of the submarine include being yellow.
去年秋天，美國海軍公佈了長達10英尺、半自動化的無人潛艇，被認爲是大排量無人潛水器，定於今年夏天在公海進行首次試航。如果試航順利，美國官員希望在2020年之前組建中隊進行作業。除了可以單次作業30天以外，該潛艇的辨識特徵還包括黃色外觀。
The initial function of sub drones is expected to be surveillance, however naval planners believe there are endless potential uses. One model is what one official calls a Russian doll approach — with a mother sub or surface vessel that can then release a series of much smaller drones that could be mines or used to track subs or even launch their own missiles.
預計無人潛艇的初步功能是偵查，不過海軍規劃人士認爲，無人潛艇有着無盡的潛在用途。其中一種模式被一名官員稱爲俄羅斯套娃模式——一艘母艇或者水面艦艇可以釋放一系列小得多的無人潛艇，可以用作水雷或者用於追蹤潛艇、甚至發射導彈。
Small sub drones would be much harder to monitor using sonar systems that are designed to find large objects in deep waters. It might be possible, for instance, for a vessel to enter an enemy harbour unobserved.
小型無人潛艇很難被聲納系統（用於在深水尋找大型目標）探測。例如，它或許可以在敵方毫無察覺的情況下進入其港口。
The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has been testing a programme it calls upward falling payloads — robot pods that would hide on the ocean floor for years and release sub drones or small surveillance aircraft once activated. Another reconnaissance drone under development is shaped and swims like a small fish.
五角大樓國防高級研究計劃署(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)一直在試驗其所稱的“浮沉載荷計劃”(Upward Falling Payloads)。該項目研發的是可以在海底隱藏多年的機器人艙，一旦激活，該機器人艙可以發射無人潛艇或小型偵查飛行器。另一項正在研發中的無人駕駛偵察器的造型像小魚一樣，可以像魚一樣遊動。
“The use of undersea drones opens up a whole new area of capabilities,” said Mr Brimley.
“無人潛艇的使用打開了作戰能力的全新領域，”布里姆利稱。
The principal obstacles at the moment are providing enough power for the drones so that they can stay underwater for long periods and communicating with them.
目前的主要障礙是爲無人潛艇提供足夠動力以使它們可以長期待在水下，以及如何與無人潛艇進行溝通。
Officials are also debating how much autonomy they will want to give sub drones — an issue that will become more difficult if and when they start to carry weapons.
美國官員也在爭論該給無人潛艇多大的自主權——一旦它們開始搭載武器，該問題將變得更加複雜。
As well as investing in undersea drones, the US is developing unmanned surface vessels. Last week the Pentagon unveiled what it calls the Sea Hunter, the prototype of a sub hunter. Robert Work, deputy secretary of defence, said the vessels could be used in the western Pacific in the next five years.
除了對無人潛艇進行投資外，美國還在研發無人駕駛水面艦艇。上週，五角大樓公佈了反潛無人駕駛船“海獵號”(Sea Hunter)。美國國防部副部長羅伯特•沃克(Robert Work)稱，該船或將在未來五年內用於西太平洋作業。
